


Keeping Secrets

by Musetotheworld



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/F, Kara fails at being subtle, Secret Admirer, SuperCat Slam
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-28
Updated: 2017-02-28
Packaged: 2018-09-27 01:57:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,208
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9945287
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Musetotheworld/pseuds/Musetotheworld
Summary: Kara is so sure she can keep a secret. But trying to keep one ends up giving away two.





	

Kara hesitates before placing the call to arrange delivery of a stunning flower arrangement to Cat’s hotel. It’s a stupid decision, she knows that, but after missing the woman’s presence so completely for far too long, she can’t help it.

She does manage to retain just enough sense to make it an anonymous delivery. A bouquet of flowers from an ex assistant the week of Valentine’s Day would probably not be something Cat thought appropriate. But sending them without an attached name will keep things safe. Kara will feel better having reached out, and Cat will have a lovely arrangement to brighten her day. And with how much the florist loves Kara, even Cat’s usual threats shouldn’t be able to get the truth out of him.

And Kara knows she should probably be embarrassed or ashamed to be sending anonymous flowers as if this were high school, but it’s all she has enough courage to do. If she were only Supergirl she’d probably have flown to Cat’s balcony a dozen times over by now, but she’s not. She’s also Kara Danvers, and that means actually pursuing Cat is likely nothing more than a very bad idea.

But the flowers should be harmless enough, and safe enough, to avoid causing problems. And with no card, no message, they could even be considered perfectly platonic. They aren’t, Kara is honest enough with herself to admit that, but if challenged she could claim that they were. That it was nothing more than a friendly gesture from a dedicated employee who had spent years doing her best to make her boss smile. Flowers weren’t much different than keeping an M&M dish stocked, right?

It takes roughly five minutes for Kara to regret the decision to send the flowers once the order is placed. It’s a stupid idea, Cat will hate it, and then where will she be? With her luck, somehow sending the flowers will manage to give away not only her crush, but also her secret identity and every last detail of her work with the DEO. What was she thinking?   
But as Kara reaches for the phone to cancel the order, it rings with a call from Alex, and all thoughts of flowers and potential mistakes are driven from Kara’s mind in an instant. Livewire has escaped, and that means Cat isn’t safe. If Leslie finds out where she’s been staying, then that’s it. Metropolis is too far away for Kara to swoop in and save the day, not when Kara Danvers has deadlines to meet in National City. And sure she can ask Kal-El to keep an eye on Cat, but unless she explains exactly what it is she feels for the woman, there’s no good way for Kara to convince him to protect one person at the potential expense of his city. And Kara really doesn’t want to explain her feelings to her baby cousin.

So instead she pours herself into tracking down Livewire, panic rushing through her veins every time she thinks of what the villain will do to Cat if Kara can’t find her. There’s too much on the line to give anything less than her entire focus, and for once Kara hates that she has to leave the DEO and the search to return to CatCo and keep up the charade of her secret identity. She should be out looking for Livewire, not stuck here pretending to be human. She loves her job, loves this building, loves the normal life it gives her, but sometimes Kara just feels the need to rush ahead with all her power and just solve a situation.

That’s probably why she vents to James in the middle of his office. She knows it’s a security risk, but right now the need to be Supergirl and not Kara Danvers is so overwhelming that she can’t push it down. Besides, long history of this being Cat’s office means no one pays too much attention to conversations held in here. It hadn’t been the best for job security if Cat caught you.

“Really, Kara, you’re just going to yell out the truth about your secret identity in the middle of a building full of reporters?” a familiar voice comes from the doorway halfway through Kara’s rant, and suddenly her anger is replaced by pure terror.

“Miss Grant, um, you weren’t supposed to be here,” Kara says as she spins around just short of too fast for human abilities. “You were in Metropolis.” Kara doesn’t bother to deny what Cat already knows, what she’d likely known for some time. There’s no point to it. She’d made a stupid decision and gotten caught.

“Something convinced me of a need to fly back,” Cat says as she walks into the office, pointedly closing the door behind her. “And James, I don’t think you’re needed for this conversation. You and I will have another of our own later. For now, run along and let us talk. And one word to Kara’s friends in cheap government suits and CatCo will find itself another acting CEO, are we understood?” There’s no arguing with Cat, and James knows that as well as Kara. So with no word and just a nod of agreement he heads for the door, shooting Kara a look she can’t decipher. She thinks there’s a bit of ‘good luck’ in it, but also a healthy portion of ‘this is all on you’ that makes Kara bristle defensively even if he’s right.

“So, you needed to fly back to National City?” Kara tries, hoping that if she doesn’t say anything Cat will let the matter of her identity drop the way they have so many times before.

“Yes, the flowers were lovely, Kara. The sort that deserves a thank you in person,” Cat says, stepping close to Kara’s side with a smirk. And oh Rao she knows it was Kara who sent them, which means nothing about this conversation is safe anymore.

“How did you know?” Kara asks in defeat, forcing herself away from the intoxicating closeness of Cat’s warmth to sit on one of the couches. It doesn’t help though, Cat is sitting next to her in a heartbeat, still just as close, still with that pleased little smirk on her face.

“Oh, we’ll get to that darling. If you still want to when we’re done discussing how reckless you’re being, that is. Shouting about Leslie with people still walking around? That’s the fastest way to lose your secret identity, Kara. And correct me if I’m wrong, but you once told me you needed CatCo now more than ever. What, do you intend to just throw that away as if it’s nothing?” Cat sounds softer than Kara would have imagined her being for this conversation, but there’s still a bit of bite to her words that Kara knows she deserves.

“I didn’t expect anyone to get close enough without my noticing,” Kara admits, knowing it’s a weak defense. But it’s all she has.

“And yet I snuck up on you with no effort,” Cat points out, knocking the argument down with one shot. “You need to focus, Kara. Here and as Supergirl, apparently.”

“You mean you’re not firing me?” Kara asks in disbelief, sure she’s misunderstanding. Last time Cat found out Kara had already packed up her desk to leave before they managed to convince the CEO she’d made a mistake. She’d been expecting to do the same to her office tonight.

“I assume you still need CatCo,” Cat says dryly, nearly stopping Kara’s breathing when she reaches out to place a casual hand on the hero’s knee. “And after everything you’ve gone through, well, far be it from me to take that away from you. I don’t understand why you need this place so much, but I trust you when you say you do.”

“Thank you, Cat,” Kara says as she lets that sink in, not realizing she’s let the woman’s name slip until she’s being smirked at once again.

“You’re getting awfully brave as Kara Danvers,” Cat says with a knowing look, and Kara flushes at her tone. “Flowers, delivered anonymously to my hotel room the week of Valentine’s day? Did you really think I wouldn’t know it was you?”

“I hoped,” Kara admits, suddenly unable to keep eye contact. “And I didn’t think you’d appreciate them if they came from me. But I wanted you to have something to smile about this week.”

“Well, they certainly accomplished that,” Cat says, leaning the barest amount closer. “At least until I heard Leslie had escaped. But even with that, I admit the thought of you trying to pull off something as ridiculous as being a secret admirer is entertaining on its own.”

“I, I wasn’t,” Kara tries to protest, tripping over her words as she feels Cat’s hand squeeze gently at her knee. There was no message, she should be able to play this off as a nice gesture and nothing more, right? “They were just a gift.”

“You’re about as convincing there as you are about your secret identity,” Cat says smugly, but she seems to take pity on Kara, removing her hand and leaning back. “But if that’s how you want to play this, then very well. We can focus on the murderous villain determined to kill me instead.”

They should, Kara absolutely knows that. Especially now that Cat is back in National City, and so in danger. But something in the way Cat pulled back tells Kara that if they don’t talk about this now, Cat will never be this open again. She’ll take Kara’s hesitation as a sign to put it behind her.

And Kara is scared to have this conversation. Terrified, even. She’d honestly hoped that the flowers would remain anonymous so that she could put it off or forget entirely. She isn’t prepared to have Cat sitting close enough to feel the warmth of her body while she admits to what she’s feeling. The subtle scent of Cat’s perfume is drifting around her, daring her to lean in, almost intoxicating in its lure. All of it, everything about the woman next to her, from the way she understands and helps keep Kara on track to the way her skirt has edged up the slightest bit on her thighs, all of it is a distraction that Kara thinks might kill her if she tries to have this conversation now.

But she can’t let Cat push her away. Not now that she’s taken the step forward, not as Supergirl but as Kara Danvers. And Cat might have known the truth before she flew back, or at least suspected, but right now Kara somehow knows this isn’t about her caped persona. This is about the woman Cat has gotten to know over the years, the loyal assistant who could turn into so much more if only she can be brave enough.

So Kara dives. She’s smart enough to look behind her with a quick use of super speed to make sure no one is looking their way, but then she’s closing the distance between them slowly, eyes darting down to look at Cat’s lips in a way she really can’t control. “And if I said I didn’t want to ignore it? What then, Cat? Would you let me kiss you?”

That’s all she can get out before Cat’s lips are pressed to her own, taking the invitation the way it was intended as they move against each other almost by instinct. They fit, matching their movements effortlessly, long familiarity keeping any awkwardness from at least  _ this _ newest development between them.

“We do need to talk about Livewire,” Kara says reluctantly when they part, looking back over her shoulder to make sure no one had noticed them while she was distracted. But the bullpen is quiet, the last few remaining employees focused on the tasks they need to finish to finally get home. Their privacy remains, even with the glass walls.

“I’m sure we do,” Cat agrees, leaning forward to press a quick peck to Kara’s lips. “But I trust you, Kara. To protect me, and to protect this city.” The quiet belief, far more than anything else tonight, is what gives Kara the needed confidence to start believing in herself once again. She hadn’t even realized she was missing that until Cat showed up and made her see.

“I won’t let anything happen to you,” Kara promises, knowing she’ll do whatever it takes to keep her word.

“I know,” Cat says with a smile, one softer than Kara ever thought would be directed at her. “But for now, why don’t we come up with a plan to draw her out? It worked so well for us last time.”

Kara laughs as she nods in agreement, sitting back just enough that they won’t give the new development between them away should anyone glance into the office. She’s already looking forward to closing the distance again, and the sooner they can get Livewire back into custody, the sooner that can happen.

And she’s still terrified of the conversation, but at least now she knows her feelings are returned, at least in part. And the rest? Well, she can just deal with that later.


End file.
